Hundreds complain about Melbourne Airport noise

MORE than 400 people made complaints or lodged queries about the noise of planes at Melbourne Airport last year.

Airservices Australia figures analysed by the Herald Sun show 104 of the 405 Melburnians who sought information in 2012-13 were from Keilor, which is under the flight part of the primary north-south runway.

Twenty-one callers were from St Albans and 17 from Melbourne.

Residents from East Melbourne and Richmond, and as far away as Doncaster East, also lodged complaints, queries and requests for information about aircraft noise.

In 2011, the aircraft noise ombudsman recommended Airservices record the number of people who complained or sought information rather than the number of complaints, over concerns that serial complainers may have been inflating the figures.

More than 200,000 planes take off and land at Melbourne Airport each year - about 565 a day.

That number is expected to rise to more than 280,000 a year by June 2023 after the addition of a proposed third runway, construction of which could begin as early as 2016.

When the $500 million east-west runway is built, at least 3000 nearby homes will have planes directly overhead for the first time.

Keilor photographer Paul Perillo said he had complained to Airservices about plane noise.

``I've been in Keilor for 22, 23 years, and you live with the noise. But it is becoming more and more frequent, with the increased numbers going through the airport,'' Mr Perillo said.

``We understand that is progress - progress is good. But to overload an area such as Tullamarine with another runway, with more flights, doesn't make sense.''

He said he didn't believe a curfew should be introduced but rather other alternatives, such as making Avalon an international airport and building a third airport in the south east, should be explored.

The noise of an arriving international jet, 500m from the end of the runway, is about 100 decibels; of a departing domestic plane, 6.5km from the end of the runway, it is about 70 decibels. Normal conversation is about 60 decibels.

Airservices spokesman Rob Walker said it had a dedicated service for noise complaints.

``The large majority of noise complaints are in reference to jet aircraft movements, increased frequency of air traffic and aircraft height,'' Mr Walker said.

Melbourne Airport spokesman Anna Gillett said it worked with Airservices and the Government to manage noise.